In general, a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material has three silver halide emulsion layers which are light-sensitive to the three primary colors of red, green and blue, respectively. A dye image is reproduced by a process in which three kinds of couplers contained in the respective emulsion layers are subjected to color development in a relationship of complementary colors with the colors to which the respective layers are sensitive, a so-called substractive color process. A dye image obtained by photographically processing a silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material generally comprises an azomethine dye or an indoaniline dye, each formed by reacting an oxidation product of an aromatic primary amine color developing agent with a coupler.
In this silver halide color photographic light-sensitive material, a phenol type or naphthol type cyan coupler is generally used for forming a cyan dye image. However, the dyes formed by these couplers have unfavorable absorptions in the blue color and green color regions and therefore have serious problems due to a marked deterioration in color reproducibility.
2,4-Diphenylimidazoles, described in European Patent Application 0 249 453 A2, have been proposed as a means for solving this problem. The dyes formed by these couplers have less unfavorable absorptions in a short wavelength region as compared with the dyes formed by the conventional cyan couplers and are preferable in terms of a color reproducibility.
However, these couplers are not deemed to have enough color reproducibility and in addition, there still remains the practical problem that the coupling activity is low and that the fastness to heat and light is notably low.
Further, the pyrazoloazole type couplers described in JP-A-64-552 (the term "JP-A" as used herewith means an unexamined published Japanese patent application), JP-A-64-553, JP-A-64-554, JP-A-64-555, JP-A-64-556, and JP-A-64-557 are improved in an absorption in a short wavelength region as compared with the dyes formed by the conventional cyan couplers but are not deemed to have enough color forming property and color reproducibility as a cyan coupler.
Meanwhile, for the purpose of improving the fastness of the dye obtained from the phenol type and naphthol type cyan couplers generally used, there have been proposed UV absorbers, epoxy compounds and phenylenediamine compounds in JP-A-50-151149, U.S. Pat. No. 4,239,851 and JP-A-62-178963; the compounds obtained by subjecting the phenolic hydroxyl groups of phenols, hydroquinones and catechols to etherification, esterification, silylesterification and phosphoric acid esterification in JP-A-56-11453, JP-A-61-167953, JP-A-64-46751, and JP-A-1-284852; phenols, chromanols, hydroquinones, catechols, and amines in JP-A-63-85547, JP-A-63-98661, JP-A-53-77527, JP-A-62-232650, JP-A-62-210465, and JP-A-l-137257; and amide compounds and high molecular amide compounds in European Patent Application 0 268 496 A and JP-A-2-43541; and metal complexes in JP-A-62-121456 and 62-121457.
However, these compounds do not exert sufficient effect to the phenol type and naphthol type cyan dyes; while same compounds show the desired effect on the light fastness, they do not adequately effect the heat fastness or on the contrary, they deteriorate it. Alternatively, if these compounds show the desired effect on the heat fastness, on the contrary, they deteriorate the light fastness.
Further, for the purpose of improving the fastness of a dye obtained from a pyrazoloazole type cyan coupler and an imidazole type cyan coupler, there are proposed UV absorbers proposed for the phenol type and naphthol type cyan couplers, hindered phenols, hindered amines, amides, high molecular amides, phosphorus compounds, hydroquinones, and catechols in JP-A-l-149045, JP-A-l-156744, JP-A-l-156745, JP-A-1-295257, JP-A-1-230042, and JP-A-l-156746. However, while unnecessary subabsorptions in a short wavelength region are small, they are insufficient for improving the fastness.
Further, the combined uses of the azomethine dyes obtained from the pyrroloazole type dye-forming couplers and the anti-fading agents having a specific structure are disclosed in JP-A-62-289837, JP-A-62-291647, JP-A-62-291650, and JP-A-62-291653. However, these anti-fading agents have a weak anti-fading effect since the dyes obtained from these couplers are magenta dyes.